When I got on board I found everything in great confusion. The second mate had gone on shore in the morning to cut an anchor stock, when they were attacked by the natives and two men killed, the rest narrowly escaping to their boat. After getting to the boat the officer fired at the natives and killed one. Two boats were then fitted out from the ship well armed and landed, but the natives fled into the woods. The bodies of our two men were taken on board and afterwards decently buried on shore at the village of Labooca. The captain informed me that the natives were getting to be very troublesome and had made two attempts to take the ship, but their design was discovered in time to prevent it. The first time they came off in canoes, about fifty of them. Some came on one side and some the other. The second mate chanced to look over the side and saw the chains full of clubs and other instruments and told the captain that they were about to attack the ship, when all hands were called to arms. As soon as the natives saw a muster on board they jumped into canoes and went on shore. A few days afterwards they came off again on pretention of selling mats, under which they had their arms concealed, but their scheme was discovered in time to be prepared for them. Fortunately for us, I brought off a chief with me who wished to visit the ship. When I told him that we had two men killed by the natives of Ovalau he was very much frightened. I told him he need not be frightened, but he was a prisoner for the present. The captain told me to get everything we had on shore off to the ship. We went to Camber with two boats to take off our property. When we arrived we found the men that I left in care of the establishment much alarmed, fearing an attack from the natives. They had been under arms all night. The natives had been very insolent and troublesome during my absence. We immediately commenced loading our boats and five or six canoes which I hired for the purpose. When the natives found their chief was detained they very readily assisted us to get everything to the boats and behaved very civilly, but I have no doubt if we had not had the chief on board they would have robbed and perhaps killed us all. But they well knew that their chief would have to suffer if they committed any depredations and they valued him more than all we had. We got our boats loaded and made the best of our way for the ship. We got alongside the ship towards night, and when we got everything on board we discharged the canoes and the chief, much to his satisfaction.